Cult News

Polygamist David Ortell Kingston was sentenced to ten years in prison on third-degree felony convictions for incest and sexual contact with a minor child. The victim was Kingston’s own niece, who he took as his 15th wife.

Now a Utah parole board has decided to release Kingston after serving only four years, because he promised not to do it again and is a “model prisoner.” Not only will the convicted sex offender be released early, he will also not be under any further supervision after that date, reports the Salt Lake City Tribune.

It’s not surprising that Kingston is a “model prisoner,” since there are probably no little girls within his cellblock. What’s surprising is the inequity regarding the treatment of polygamists within Utah.

Polygamist Tom Green was first sentenced to five years for bigamy then later sentenced five years to life for “child rape.” But unlike Kingston, whose niece fled, Green’s “wife” stayed, bore him children and testified in his defense.

However, the Kingston clan is an “affluent” group and apparently receives somewhat different treatment in Utah.

And then there’s Rulon Jeffs who died peacefully in his bed at 92. Despite the fact that Jeffs had a reported 19 wives he was never even charged. Jeffs led the richest polygamist group in North America.

Both Kingston and Jeffs also represent long-established polygamist clans, while Green was a maverick.

So it seems like poor, unconnected polygamists better be careful in Utah, while rich established ones may have some leeway.

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) with about 6,000 members is probably the largest polygamist group in North America. It was ruled over by its declared “Prophet” Rulon Jeffs, until his death this month. But Jeffs 92 left his succession somewhat vague, reports the Salt Lake City Tribune.

Warren Jeffs, the deceased leader’s son, wants to fill that vacancy. But to accomplish this he must first overcome Fred Jessop another candidate who is 92. However, if Jessop wins Jeffs will still reach his goal soon enough, since Jessop’s reign would certainly be brief.

In an interesting subplot Canadian FLDS leader Warren Blackmore became a recent casualty of the group’s internal warfare. Rulon Jeffs denounced Blackmore shortly before his death and then Warren Jeffs removed him from key positions, according to the Vancouver Province.

Mayor Dan Barlow of Colorado City, Arizona an FLDS stronghold says, “The leader is chosen by the Lord. It will be revealed.” However, what is revealing is how earthly this power struggle actually is. According to recent reports the FLDS has $200 million dollars in US assets alone. Is that what’s called the “profit” motive?

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed suit against Harlingen Family Dentistry of Texas for firing employees that refused to take Scientology courses, reports the Valley Morning Star.

According to the suit employees were pressured to become involved in the controversial church, and thus subjected to “religious discrimination.”

This situation is not unique. It is not uncommon for professionals such as dentists, doctors or chiropractors, to become Scientologists and then subsequently run their practice based upon its principles and “technology.” This may lead some to essentially evangelize their staff as virtually an article of faith, though such an effort is more likely to be characterized as a means to increase employee efficiency and performance.

What is Scientology, a faith or a business? Maybe the EEOC will help to resolve this issue in court.

Amdi Pederson the founder and head of Tvind/Humana is now back in his native Denmark, according to “Tvind Alert.”

Pederson was extradited from the United States after spending some time in a Los Angeles jail.

He was first indicted for financial fraud and tax evasion by Danish authorities and then a warrant was issued for his arrest. The “cult leader” was caught at LAX before boarding a flight. Mr. Pederson won’t be flying again anytime soon.

The Tvind founder first fought extradition and then caved in, some say because he knew jail would be easier in Denmark. He landed in Copenhagen International Airport yesterday.

It seems that “every dog has it’s day,” well at least in Denmark. European governments have repeatedly demonstrated they are far less likely than the US to look the other way regarding cults and their abuses. Amdi Pederson is now the most recent example of that reality.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) would prefer college students drink beer instead of milk.

A PETA spokesperson said, “Even one glass of milk supports animal abuse,” reports the Montreal Gazette.

PETA now promotes the pun “Got Beer,” which mocks the dairy industry’s “Got Milk” slogan. But binge drinking and drunken behavior at college and university campuses is not funny. Despite this, PETA now plans to place “Got Beer” ads in college papers.

Amongst animal rights advocates PETA continues to gain a growing reputation for fanaticism. And if not for the violence that has at times been the result of such extremism, maybe they could be written off as just a joke.

This latest PETA campaign demonstrates how out of touch the organization is with reality and the type of cult-like obsessive focus they often promote.

September 11th is a religious holiday for members of the Rastafarian religion. This date coincides with their annual celebration of the Ethiopian new year, Associated Press reported this week.

The Rastafarian faith began in Jamaica during the 1930s as a reaction against the oppression of blacks and it then spread throughout the Caribbean. It centers upon cultic devotion to the deceased Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie as a “manifestation of God.”

Rastafarians are commonly known for their dreadlocks, music and use of marijuana. However, their beliefs are actually based upon the revitalizing of African historic roots and culture.

This year Rastafarian celebrations on September 11th were called off in remembrance of those who died in the United States on that date last year as a result of terrorist attacks.

True believers are seeing Mary again, this time in Saskatchewan on a hothouse wall. Skeptics say it’s just steam from a greenhouse, according to CBC.

But whatever it is, the benign image isn’t hurting anyone and the cult of devotion that revolves around Mary offers many believers solace and comfort.

In some isolated instances those who claim to speak for Mary, such as the “Army of Mary” and “Caritas of Birmingham” have raised concerns, but those who simply see her do no harm.

Perhaps Mary seems more approachable than God, or any member of the Trinity. Faithful Catholics may be pragmatic, hoping that the “Mother of God” might put in a good word for them with her son. After all, most sons do visit their mothers.

A 15-year-old Indian girl was slain in a ritual sacrifice as an offering to the goddess Kali, reports Time.

Two hundred years ago such murders were common, but now Indian authorities say they have dwindled to one per month in the country, which now has a population of 1 billion.

The goddess Kali has a legendary lust for blood according to Indian mythology and sacrifices to her are believed to bring power and wealth to the supplicant.

In the United States stories of cult ritual sacrifices peaked in the late 1980s. However, this was based upon an urban mythology developed around tales of babies slain for Satan.

Some “experts” claimed that there was a vast hidden network of multi-generation “Satanic cults.” Many so-called “survivors” came forward to tell horrific accounts of abuse often based upon “repressed” or “recovered” memories.

But these cult stories were proven false. Unlike the ritual murders of India, the American version lacked objective physical evidence. Now the FBI and other law-enforcement officials readily admit the stories were unfounded. It appears “the devil was given more than his due.”

Andrew Parker 23 murdered his 22-year-old brother and then killed himself, according to Morning Call. The older brother had battled depression for some time.

Both brothers were raised within a notorious “sex cult” now called “The Family,” but formerly known as the “Children of God.” The group was founded by pedophile “Moses” David Berg. The boy’s parents met within the group and still appear to be active members.

The “Children of God” has been the subject of much bad press for its strange sexual practices that included fund-raising through “flirty fishing,” which many saw as simply prostitution and the sexualizing of children at an early age. The group published tracts preaching such concepts.

Actor River Phoenix, nominated for an Oscar for his role in the film “Running on Empty,” was also raised within the group. Phoenix once said he lost his virginity at age four. He later died at 23, the result of a drug overdose.

Former members, especially those raised within the “Children of God,” often seem to struggle with emotionally and psychologically debilitating side effects. Some former members say it takes years to overcome the residual post-traumatic stress and depression caused by the group. Many have turned to drugs; especially young people with a history in the organization.

Who knows what demons drove Andrew Parker? Were he and his brother two more casualties of the “Children of God”?

For many yoga enthusiasts the practice is simply good exercise. But it seems for some it’s all about profits, ego and power. Some yoga schools and related businesses apparently are more concerned with maintaining their franchise and market share than the bodies of their clients, reports Business 2.0.

The article takes readers on a tour of prominent yoga entrepreneurs, who appear to be the antithesis of what you would expect, much more about the bottom line than something transcendent.

The yoga notables covered include seemingly status-driven celebrity name-dropper Bikram Choudhury, who likes flashy watches and John Abbot former banker and now the owner of “Yoga Journal” magazine, who seems intensely focused on his market share.

The article is an interesting look at how yoga has become little more than a business to make money for many of its advocates.

But another aspect of the yoga business is the use of the now popular and fashionable practice to proselytize. That is, some groups called “cults” or “cult-like” draw in adherents through an apparent kind of “bait and switch” process. These groups seem to feed off yoga as a vehicle to bring people into their subculture and/or mindset. And this process can be intensified through the use of “meditation,” often more like hypnotic trance induction, which makes students more malleable.

Yoga practitioners involved in this process may eventually become more than just exercise buffs. They can become devotees of some charismatic leader and/or sect.

This recruitment process is not uncommon. After all, yoga’s actual roots are religious not secular. Anyone interested in taking classes should check out the background of their school before becoming involved, to make sure it doesn’t have a hidden agenda.

Some groups, which have raised concerns are 3HO led by “Yogi Bhajan,” Integral Yoga International (IYI) and “Yogaville” founded by Swami Satchidananda, Dahn Hak Tao “Healing Society” led by “Master Lee” and a Patanjali Yoga Shala studio in Manhattan run by teacher Eddie Stern.